The reviews for Zack Snyder’s film have been been mixed — it hovers at 43 percent on Rotten Tomatoes — with several counting the villain’s motivations and CGI depiction among its flaws. Vanity Fair writer Joanna Robinson echoed those sentiments in a tweet, comparing Steppenwolf to the Dark Elf Malekith from Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World: “#JusticeLeague’s Steppenwolf is the worst comic book movie villain of all time and not even Malekith the Accursed comes close.” When DCEU devotees saw Whedon “liked” that critique, some turned on the director for what they viewed as a betrayal.

It’s been suggested by producer Charles Roven that Whendon actually shot 15 percent to 20 percent of the movie after Snyder stepped aside in the wake of a family tragedy. Early assessments of Justice League range from fun to boring to chaotic, with some reviews highlighting a disconnect between the styles of Snyder and Whedon.